Working Undercover
by Sutefani-chan
Summary: Kenshin and Sano are two FBI agents who were called to a mission from the president of Japan. Their mission: to protect the first daughter through disguising themselves as her female cousins! KK pairing, modern day setting
1. Default Chapter

HELLO GUYS! HERE I AM AGAIN WITH YET ANOTHER FIC…(ME AND MY INSANE MIND…ME AND MY BALLISTIC EGO)

**SUMMARY:** WHAT IF JAPAN IS A PRESIDENTIAL COUNTRY? OK…TO GO ON…KENSHIN AND SANO ARE TWO SHINSENGUMI AGENTS (SORT OF LIKE THE FBI) WHO WERE CALLED TO WORK FOR THE PRESIDENT OF JAPAN, NOT KNOWING WHAT THEIR MISSION IS. BUT THEN CAME THE SURPRISE OF THEIR LIVES. THEIR MISSION WAS TO PROTECT THE FIRST DAUGHTER THROUGH DISGUISING THEMSELVES AS WOMEN! UH-OH, WHAT HAS THEIR BOSS, HIKO GOTTEN HIS HEAD INTO? WILLTHEY SUCCEED? ANYWAYS, READ ON…KxK PAIRING, MODERN DAY SETTING. THERE MIGHT BE A LOT OF OOC-NESS HERE…DON'T EXPECT THAT THEY'LL HAVE THE PERSONALITIES YOU SEE IN THE SERIES…

**DISCLAIMER:** I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE RUROUNI KENSHIN CHARACTERS AND PLACES…

NOTES:

SHINSENGUMI PATROL – MORE LIKE COMPARED TO THE FBI

KENSHIN – 22 TURNING 23

SANO – 22 TURNING 23

HIKO – 40 +

WORKING UNDERCOVER by Sutefani-chan 

**CHAPTER 1**

It was nothing but a lazy afternoon in the headquarters as Himura Kenshin sat in his armchair with his feet propped on the desk before him, twirling his pencil.

Bored.

It had been his first year as a cop since he last joined the Shinsengumi Patrol, but nothing exciting had occurred yet in his boring life. Since he had joined the patrol, he had expected some action-packed and challenging assignments but much to his dismay, preventing a cat from falling off the tree was all he ever attained. He heaved a sigh. _This isn't what I'm hoping it would be._

"Argh! Can somebody please give us a more darn decent job?" grumbled a voice.

Kenshin tilted his head to his right. There sat Sagara Sanosuke with both if his hands crossed together behind his neck, resting his head. Sagara Sanosuke was his friend and partner in work. He could still remember when they both first applied for work in the agency. It was only then that he met him, since before that he was busy training kenjutsu under Chief Seijuro Hiko, their boss at the present moment.

"I mean, at least they could have given us proper assignments instead of saving Mrs. Fausuto's cat from falling off the tree. I mean, seriously," he complained once more.

"Don't worry; I believe shishou will come up with something eventually," said Kenshin.

"You trust the man so much, ne, Kenshin?"

"He's been a father to me somehow so I owe him a lot. Stop complaining, go read a manga or something," he said as he tossed Sano a manga.

Sano caught it.

"I've read this manga a dozen times while waiting for a miracle to happen. Ah, phooey! I'm tired and bored of waiting. Hey, wanna come with me and go get a donut or something?" he asked, as he was about to stand up.

Suddenly, the door flung open. A large and muscular man in a shirt, slacks and coat entered the office. "I think the donut can wait, Sagara."

Sano scowled at him. Seijuro Hiko smirked.

"I think that grimace on your face would eventually go away once I've told you the news."

Upon hearing the word 'news', Sano quickly sat back on his seat.

Hiko smirked again.

He sat on his own desk as the two watched him carefully.

"Guess what, boys? You've got yourselves an assignment."

"Seriously, shishou?" marveled Kenshin.

"Absolutely."

"Halleluiah!" sang Sano.

"Who's the client, de gozaryo?"

Hiko's smirk then turned into a grin, "I think that would definitely make this assignment more interesting."

"How about exciting?" Sano asked eagerly.

"And exciting," sighed Hiko, rolling his eyes.

"Woohoo! That's more like it!"

"Who, shishou?" asked Kenshin again.

"Brace yourselves, boys. This is gonna be the biggest and unforgettable assignment of your lives."

He let out a few coughs and cleared his throat loudly.

"Who?"

After a few seconds of silence, Hiko blurted out, "the president of Japan himself."

The two gave him sullen looks.

"Very funny, shishou," muttered Kenshin.

"Bakeru! Do you expect us to believe that?" shouted Sano.

Hiko gave a mean and hearty laugh. Then, he frowned, "Baka no deshi. Sano no baka.

He continued, "Of course I'm telling the truth, you morons! Why would I joke about something like that?"

"…"

"You two obviously have no faith in me at all."

"…"

Kenshin scratched his head. He wondered if he should believe Hiko or not. He knows; Hiko's been playing mean jokes about assignments on them, but this time it could be different, _right?_ After all, he had never joked about the president being their client. _But then again, maybe he came up with something new instead of congressmen and famous J-pop superstars._

"Are you sure you're not playing with us, old man?" glared Sano.

"Of course I'm not, dimwit."

Kenshin and Sano both shot Hiko a brow.

"Fine. If you don't want to believe me, it's your loss. It's not hard to find another better pair of agents so I guess you might as well pack your things now and get out of here," he said as he stood up from his seat, heading towards the door.

Kenshin couldn't take it anymore. "Alright! All right! We believe you, okay? We'll do it."

"How about you, rooster-head?" They turned to Sano. He was still sitting in his armchair with his arms crossed.

"C'mon, Sano," urged Kenshin.

"I'm waiting, Sagara," said Hiko.

Sano grumbled and finally gave in, raising both of his hands in a surrender manner.

"Okay, we'll do it. I finally believe you but this better be real or we'll –."

"I know, okay, rooster-head? You don't have to tell me because I'll eventually win," and he let out a mean laugh.

Kenshin shook his head, " So, when will we meet this 'client', shishou?"

"Tomorrow morning at 11 in the morning and you two better not be late or I'll do chopsuey on you myself. This is the president we're talking about, not some famous J-pop superstar or congressman."

"Oro?"

"You're on!" cheered Sano as he punched his palm in a gamely manner.

_Wait, what kind of assignment does the president have in mind?_ Kenshin wondered and he made a worried face.

TBC

AUTHOR'S NOTES: SO HOW WAS IT? PLEASE DO TELL ME! YUKATA! I'M SO EXCITED ON WORKING ON THIS FIC! HEHEHEHE… I KNOW, THE CHAPPIE'S TOO SHORT, BUT I PROMISE I'LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU!

BY THE WAY, THE TYPE OF GOVERNMENT THAT I USED IN THIS FIC IS THE UNITARY TYPE. I BASED IT TO THE TYPE OF GOVERNMENT THAT WE HAVE. I'TS A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE TYPE OF GOVERNMENT THE UNITED STATES HAVE, WHICH IS THE FEDERAL TYPE. FOR EXAMPLE, WE CALL THE SECRETARY OF STATE HERE AS THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY. I USED THIS TYPE OF GOVERNMENT SINCE I'M MORE FAMILIAR TO IT. IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN RESEARCH ON THESE TWO TYPES OF GOVERNMENT.

AND WITH THIS, I MUST GO NOW.


	2. Chapter 2

HELLO! TOLD YOU I UPDATE FAST! I CAN'T WAIT!

**I JUST WANT TO BRING THIS UP: **AN **ANONYMOUS REVIEWER** ASKED ME IF I WAS AWARE THAT JAPAN IS NOT A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY. WELL, SIR/MA'AM, YES I AM FULLY AWARE THAT AN EMPEROR OR A PRIME MINISTER RULES JAPAN. I JUST THOUGHT THAT WHAT IF JAPAN WAS A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY? BUT ANYWAY, THANKS FOR TAKING TIME TO READ AND REVIEW THIS STORY. ARIGATO!

**DISCLAIMER: **I DON'T OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN AND IF I DO, I'LL MAKE AOSHI FALL FOR KAORU.

NOTES: 

KAMIYA KOSHIJIRO – ABOUT 45 OR SO…(AGE)

GENERAL YAMAGATA – SAME AGE AS IN THE SERIES

SOUJIROU – 15 YEARS OLD

**WORKING UNDERCOVER by Sutefani-chan**

**CHAPTER 2**

Kenshin woke up the next morning, shielding his eyes from the sunlight entering through his window blinds. He rolled to the other side of his bed and reached for the alarm clock on his bedside table. _7:00 AM._

He slowly got out of bed and fixed the beddings neatly. He was a neat freak, somehow.

_Gotta do the chores now before we meet shishou,_ he reminded himself. With no further ado, he did the laundry, swept the floor and cleaned the bathroom. After a few minutes of rest, he took a bath.

Fresh from taking a bath, he went to the kitchen to make some breakfast. He decided to make hotcakes and bacon. He opened his cupboard. Much to his dismay, there wasn't a box of hotcake mix. He opened the fridge. There weren't eggs either.

_I guess I also have to do the grocery now too,_ he sighed. He grabbed a toast instead (with marmalade and butter) and took his coat and keys and headed for the door.

* * *

With two brown grocery bags in his arms, he walked the floors of the mall looking exhausted.

"I never knew how the supermarket could be jam-packed with shoppers and it's only 9:00!" he muttered to himself, "and I have to be at the headquarters by 10AM! I should really get moving now. Fast."

As he was walking, somebody suddenly crashed into him and his grocery bags flew up in the air. Kenshin quickly caught them. Good thing he has good reflexes.

"Oro…" he muttered as he balanced himself.

"Gomen nasai! I didn't really mean to crash into you and oh, I'm really sorry about your groceries but I as I can see they're safe now. Anyway, I'm really, really sorry, sir."

He looked up. A girl stood in front of him, with black wavy shoulder-length hair. She was wearing a black peasant boy's hat, a pair of sunglasses, a white v-necked cheerleader style sweater and a pair of cream cargo pants.

"I'm really, really sorry, Mister," she apologized again while bowing down.

Kenshin finally managed to bring himself together.

"Maa, maa, it's all right," he said.

"Gomen, I didn't see you coming. I'm really sorry, mister -?"

"Himura, Kenshin."

"Mister Himura. I'm really sorry, sir."

"It's okay, miss." Kenshin at first thought it was strange for her to wear such dark sunglasses inside a mall, and it seemed to him as though she was running from someone.

"Uh, are you okay, miss?" he asked the girl who kept on checking her back every now and then as if someone was following her.

"Oh, me? I'm fine. Um, listen, Mr. Himura. If ever somebody asks you if you saw me or where I went, please don't give them any information, dozo."

"Oro?" his eyes widened in surprise.

"Just do it, please. Oops, gotta go now. Arigato. Bye!" she scurried off just as he was going to ask why. Just them, a large man in a black suit wearing dark sunglasses approached him. He looked like a bouncer to Kenshin, a bounder in some elite bar, _perhaps? _

_What's with the dark sunglasses_? He wondered, confused.

"Sumimasen, demo, have you seen a girl about an inch smaller than you, wearing a black hat, a white long sleeves shirt and cream pants?" the large man asked briskly.

"Uh…" he didn't know what to say. Just then, he remembered what the girl had pleaded to him earlier. "_Don't tell them or give them any information…"_ He could still remember her telling him.

_Who are these people?_ He wondered. What was going on? Why is the man who looks like a bouncer after the girl? Did the girl do something unlawful? Or is she a hostage and they're like the kidnappers who are trying to capture her, preventing her from telling the authorities that there are kidnappers on the loose?

He shrugged and shook his head, "Gomen, but I haven't seen anyone exactly like the one you've described. Gomen." He decided to just keep his mouth shut and let it go. He thought that he shouldn't let himself get more involved and left the man or whomever it is to find her.

The large man eyed him like he was assuming something for a moment then said, "Thank you, anyway. C'mon, men, this way. Snow White's still running away," he waved his hand in a "let's go" gesture and suddenly 6 men in black suits wearing dark glasses appeared stampeding before Kenshin. "Oro?" _Snow White? And what's with the sunglasses, seriously?_

He stood there, shocked, as he watched those weird-looking men in black suits go after the girl who accidentally bumped into him.

"Darn! I forgot! I still have to be at the headquarters by 10!" he realized and he hurried to the parking lot.

* * *

He carefully parked his blue Ford mustang in the parking lot before the building. He checked his watch, quarter_ to 10._

_Good,_ he sighed. He took his keys, got out of the car and walked his way towards the headquarters.

He opened the door. There before him, Sano was sitting in his armchair and was snoring. A manga was covering his face clumsily.

_You're early? Ahh, I get it, _he snickered at the sleeping figure before him.

He went to his desk and sat on his armchair. He slouched back and closed his eyes. The incident that happened at the mall earlier invaded his mind once more.

_Why were they after the girl?_ He marveled. Just them, a thought occurred in his mind. _What if she's someone sort of a famous person and those large men are her bodyguards and she's trying to escape them?_ But then he thought, _but why would she get bodyguards if she would just eventually run away from them? That would be really odd. _

His thoughts suddenly lost focus when he heard a rough yawn. It looked as though Sano was finally awake.

"So you're finally awake? You're early today. Did shishou's threat scare you?" he teased Sano.

Sano glared at him, "You're quite the old man's pet, aren't you, _deshi_?"

"Oro…" he was a bit surprised, "you know I was only joking, Sano. Don't take it too seriously."

"I'll do chopsuey on you myself if you don't stop."

"Oro?"

Sano stretched and rested his head as he brought his two hands together on the back of his head. It was his favorite position.

"I was only kidding too when I said that. I know you have great respect for the old man."

"I know, Sano, you don't have to remind me."

Just then, the door opened.

"Good morning, rookies. Are you ready to receive your biggest and most challenging assignment yet?" Hiko told them.

"_Rookies_?" said Kenshin, quite offended.

"Rookies," emphasized Hiko.

"Whom are you calling a rookie, old man?" glared Sano, punching the table with his fist.

"No one, rookies, and if you don't mind we need to get going now. We don't want to keep the client waiting, do we?" said Hiko, "Wait. We have to get to the gas station since we're almost out of gas."

"You're driving us, shishou?" asked Kenshin. Hiko smirked at him.

"Iie, we're going to use your car. You'll drive."

* * *

Kenshin turned to his right. Before him, stood the massive presidential palace. He was utterly amazed. It was his dream to visit the presidential palace ever since Hiko had told him about it when he was still a kid, and now it had become a reality.

He pulled up to the gate. A guard in a black suit wearing dark sunglasses approached them. Kenshin rolled down his window.

"What business?" he asked briskly.

Just as Kenshin was about to speak, Hiko butted in from the passenger's seat.

"We're here to see the president," he told the guard.

Just then, the guard realized who it was before him and gave a salute, "Chief Hiko, sir."

"At ease," Hiko commanded him and the guard turned to his companions, "Open the gate."

They opened the gate and let them in.

"They're not going to search us?" Kenshin wondered aloud as he drove to his right to where the parking lot was.

"No, they're not going to. They're expecting us," Hiko answered.

"They sure know you, old man," Sano said as he noticed the way the guards acted around Hiko.

"And they sure know how to show respect to the old man, don't they, rooster-head?" said Hiko without looking at him.

"Why you!"

After Kenshin parked his car, the three entered the presidential palace's main door. When they were already inside, both Kenshin and Sano were amazed. They had never seen anything like it before. The floors and the marble pillars were brightly polished. Right at the center of the room, a beautiful fountain was built. The interior of the room was somehow western but still oriental style can be seen in it. It was their first time to enter the presidential palace.

"Don't drool," Hiko told both of them.

"We don't drool," Sano glowered at him.

"It's not our fault this is our first time to enter here," Kenshin sighed. Just then, a man in a uniform approached them.

"Ohayo de gozaimasu, Chief Hiko," the man greeted as Hiko faced him.

"Ah, General Yamagata. Long time no see," replied Hiko as he shook Yamagata's hand.

"Yes, chief. It's been a long time," said Yamagata. Then, he noticed the two behind Hiko, "And who are these men?"

"This is Agent Himura Kenshin and the other one's Agent Sagara Sanosuke. We're here to see the president."

Yamagata raised his eyebrows but then his face went calm again. "So they're the ones who were called?"

"Hai," he lowered his head and looked at Yamagata in the eye. Yamagata nodded back. Hiko turned to face the two.

"Boys, this is General Yamagata of the Ministry of the Army. He has done many honorable works for the government and is a good friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you, sir," said Kenshin as he shook the general's hand.

"Glad to see you, sir," Sano said as he waved his hand.

"The pleasure's all mine, boys. Ah, I see your guide has finally arrived."

He gestured the guide from his far left to come over. The three's jaws dropped. Their guide was a young boy, a young boy of about… fifteen.

"Gentlemen, this is Seta Soujirou. He will be your guide to the president's office. Well now, I guess I have to leave you gentlemen in his care. Soujirou, it's up to you now. Mata atadane, gentlemen. Sayonara," and he left the three in the care of Seta Soujirou. Soujirou turned to the three.

"Ohayo! My name's Soujirou and I will be your guide. You must be Chief Hiko of the Shinsengumi and you two must be Himura-san and Sagara-san," said Soujirou with a cheerful smile.

"He's only a boy," whispered Kenshin to Sano. "I know," Sano nodded back.

The boy named Soujirouled them to a hallway in the right and took them to an elevator. He pressed the button for third floor and closed the elevator doors.

Kenshin eyed at him carefully. He was only a boy, so what was he doing here? Shouldn't he be at high school studying?_ Wait. It's summer, school's out. _But shouldn't he be hanging out with his friends instead of spending his summer time in the presidential palace?

"Anou… Seta-san," Kenshin muttered.

"Please call me Soujirou."

"Hai, Soujirou-san. Anou, may I ask you a question?"

"Hai, Himura-san," smiled Soujirou at him.

"Why are you spending your summer here when you should be hanging out with your friends?" Hiko and Sano became attentive and listened carefully. They were curious also as of why.

Soujirou gave his cheerful smile, which was already a trademark of him, and answered, "I live here."

Upon hearing it, the three went silent.

The bell chimed. They were already on the third floor. Soujirou first stepped outside just as the doors slid open and the three followed silently. Kenshin was dumbstruck. Soujirou lives here, in the presidential palace? And to think that he's only 15 years old? _Well, maybe fifteen._

They turned left and came to a halt when they've come face to face with a shoji door.

"They're here, sir," Soujirou called out to somebody in the other side of the room.

"Bring them in," came out a man's voice. Soujirou slid the shoji door open. Kenshin and Sano were both amazed. There, ahead of them sat the President of Japan.

"Good morning, boys," greeted President Kamiya Koshijiro as the two felt the presence of power surrounding them.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** SO HOW WAS IT? PLEASE REVIEW! WEHEHEHE…

**A BIG THANKS AND A BAG OF BERTIE BOTTS' EVERY FLAVOR BEANS TO THOSE WHO HAD READ AND REVIEWED! NAMELY: ingurlz, kao-chan, kimberlyann, devildog-90, kawaiimeeh:), (an anonymous reviewer) and enchantedsleeper.**

Gomen nasai – sorry – of course you know that

Dozo – please

Sumimasen – excuse me

Demo – but

Anou – um – really it means 'uhm' or 'um'

Hai – yes – of course you know that, seriously

Mata atadane – see you later or meet you later

Sayonara – goodbye – yes, you know that


	3. Chapter 3

OKAY. SO FIRST OF ALL, THIS ISN'T A LONG UPDATE, NEH? AH! BUT FOR ME IT IS! SORRY IF IT TOOK SO LONG…UGH, WRITER'S EXCUSES…YOU KNOW WHAT ARE THOSE…SO MANY…ANYWAY

SUTEFANI-CHAN: AH! NOW THE MOMENT OF TRUTH! KENSHIN, SANO…BRACE YOURSELVES

KENSHIN AND SANO: (GULPS)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN, ITS CHARACTERS AND PLACES AND PLOTS. ABOUT PRESIDENT MATSUSHITA – I MADE THAT UP.  
**

**WORKING UNDERCOVER by Sutefani-chan**

**CHAPTER 3**

The three entered the room as Soujirou closed the shoji door behind them and locked it. Then he slid another closed, a rather bigger and sturdier one behind it. He grinned at the confused three, "Don't worry, it's sound-proof."

President Kamiya stood up from his seat and approached Hiko. Hiko gave him a salute and brought his hand down.

"Mr. President, sir," greeted Hiko as he shook hands with the president.

"It's been a long time, Chief Hiko," said Koshijiro Kamiya.

_A long time? Just what does that mean?_ Wondered Kenshin with a confused look.

President Kamiya turned to the two. He somehow noticed Kenshin's confused look.

He continued, "Chief Hiko and I once served the army when President Matsushita was still in rule. He was a major lieutenant and I was lieutenant colonel back then. You two must be those two agents Chief Hiko's been boasting about."

Sano almost choked. _Boasting?_ He turned to look at Hiko but Hiko ignored him.

"Mr. President, this is Agent Himura Kenshin and this is Agent Sagara Sanosuke. They're the ones called for the 'special assignment'." Hiko said as he lowered his voice. Then the two shook hands with the president.

"Of course. Soujirou, is it all set now?" called the president to Soujirou who was at the end of the room, guarding the door.

"Hai, Kamiya-sama. The doors and walls are sound proof as they should be."

"Good. Take a seat, gentlemen," motioned President Kamiya to the three as he sat on his own seat. The three newcomers did as they were told and occupied the three seats in front of the desk, facing the president.

Kamiya Koshijiro went on, "I think both of you know the reason why I had you sent here and that is to carry out a very special and top secret mission."

The room became silent as the two became attentive on what the president was about to say as they sat comfortably but politely on their chairs.

"But first of all, if you're ever wondering why both of you were chosen to carry out this mission, it's because that we believe you two have the potential and the qualifications needed for this assignment. You were especially handpicked by Chief Hiko, and was approved by Commissioner Hajime Saito of the Shinsengumi Patrol and me…"

"…This is top secret and is not of the ordinary, and so I'm addressing it to you personally. The only people who know about this mission are General Yamagata, Executive Secretary Okina, my personal right-hand man, Seta Soujirou; Commissioner Saito, Chief Hiko and yourselves."

The clock hanging on the wall ticked slowly as the two waited for the moment of truth, straight from the president's mouth.

"Gentlemen, I need your full cooperation on this one. I'm asking this from you…personally…"

"…Gentlemen, you are to serve as the personal bodyguards of my daughter, Kaoru."

* * *

Kenshin and Sano both gave sullen shocked faces.

_This is it? This is the special and top-secret mission?_ Kenshin frowned.

"You want us to hang with your daughter?" said Sano aloud absent-mindedly.

"Sagara!" warned Hiko, giving Sano a stern look.

"That's fine with us, " Kenshin suddenly said nonchalantly. All heads turned to look at Kenshin.

"There's nothing wrong about being Secret Service agents, right? And besides, there's nothing wrong about protecting the first daughter. As a matter of fact, we've been dreaming of finally having a more exciting and a more decent assignment instead of rescuing a cat, don't we, Sano?" he turned to Sano.

Sano sighed. _You, and that bad habit of yours. _"I guess so."

Kenshin clasped his hands together, " I think it's all set. Now, we may leave," and he got up from his seat.

Sano smirked at the attitude shown by his partner. He could tell that Kenshin was irritated and annoyed. Sano was somehow very familiar with Kenshin's attitude. That's what you get when working with someone for almost a year and a half.

Hiko held out his hand and blocked Kenshin's way. "No, it's not over yet. " Kenshin raised his brow at him, "So there's more to it?" Sano's smirk faded. He leaned closer.

President Kamiya brought his hands together and heaved a sigh, "This is not as easy as it sounds. Please try to understand first the situation before you give any reaction."

Kenshin had no choice and sat back to his seat, "Gomen." He muttered.

"Do you know why this is not as easy as it sounds?" said President Kamiya, "It's because it's just not the matter of following my daughter wherever and whenever she goes, wearing black suits and dark sunglasses. We have to take drastic measures on this."

He went on, " Just recently, I've received a threat from an anonymous person saying that he/she will cause chaos particularly harming my daughter if I don't watch it. We have speculations that this threat might come from terrorist groups but we are not that so sure. Of course, my daughter doesn't know anything about the matter…"

"…Also, another reason to this is that my daughter isn't the one who is likely obedient and she doesn't like being followed around all the time by Secret Service agents. She's been giving my agents a hard time – always. Just this morning at the mall, she had been reportedly running from her bodyguards and played 'hide and seek' with them that it took them 2 hours after they've found her. My daughter's turning 18 this next week and so we have to take full precautions. Because of all of this, it leaves us no choice but to bring this assignment to a far too different one from the ordinary."

Kenshin's eyes widened. _Is he thinking what I'm thinking it would …be?_

"Gentlemen, you are to protect the first daughter, serving as two but SPECIAL Secret Service agents…through disguising yourselves as the siblings Kamiya Kazumi and Kamiya Sakura, Kaoru's female second cousins."

Kenshin and Sano's jaws dropped. This was not happening in their oh-so-normal lives, they thought. They expected decent assignments and this one went overboard. At first, they were really looking forward to doing this assignment but when the president told them what they were going to do, suddenly the enthusiasm fade away. Everything was turning upside down.

BAM!

Sano suddenly stood up and slammed his fist hard on the desk, glaring at the president who was greatly shaken.

"Are you crazy? Do you expect us to agree to walk around with your daughter looking like a bunch of gay-wannabes? Heck no! We've expected a more decent assignment ever since we started off and now saving a darn cat from falling off a darn tree is even more decent and acceptable than baby-sitting a hard-headed, spoiled brat –!"

Just then, Sano froze when he heard an unsheathing of a sword. He turned around. Soujirou had drawn his sword out and smiled at Sano, "I'm sorry, but if I were you, you should watch your words, Sagara-san."

"No, it's okay, Soujirou. There's no need for that," assured President Kamiya. Soujirou put his katana back to its sheath. Kamiya Koshijiro leaned his back against the chair's backrest and heaved a sigh, bringing his fingers to his chin.

"I understand you. I know; it's not very easy protecting the first daughter disguised as women, pretending to be her cousins. But this is a very special mission, and it is one that will bring you great honor and great responsibility to your country, and to yourselves. We've studied your profile and your background, and proven as it is, you two are the perfect pair for this mission," he spoke.

"And," Hiko finally spoke, "we decided to keep your real identity and this assignment hidden so as to save you from further embarrassment."

Sano faced Hiko, shocked. "And you know all about this?"

"Of course. It is my duty as your boss and Chief of the Shinsengumi to know your mission beforehand."

"And you kept it from us in the first place so as for us not to back down from the mission completely. Is that it, shishou?" said Kenshin.

Hiko smirked at him, "I thought you would never realize. Of course, _baka no deshi_."

"As the president of Japan, I'm asking this of you for the safety of our country. As a father, I'm asking this of you for the sake of my daughter."

Kenshin gave it a thought as he rubbed his temples. Should they go on with this? Serving as Secret Service agents and protecting the first daughter were enough, but disguising themselves as women? This was getting out of hand.

And yet, a voice in his head told him that they vowed to serve the government and their countrymen no matter what. It would be a great honor to serve the president, risking his/her life for the peace and the sake of Japan. _Sounds patriotic_, he thought, and yet he had no other choice. After all, their job consists mainly of unselfish bravery and commitment to Japan, doesn't it?

He sighed heavily before he eventually gave in, "President Kamiya Koshijiro, sir, we fully accept the mission laid out for us and are ready to risk our lives for the sake of your daughter and for the sake of Japan, _even if we have to look and act ridiculous in front of the whole country_." he thought the last part.

Sano stare at him like Kenshin was a fugitive from a metal institute, "Are you insane?"

Kenshin went on, ignoring Sano, "We assure you that we will carry out this mission like professionals and as good agents of the Shinsengumi Patrol, just as we vowed with all our hearts, souls and minds on the day we –."

"KENSHIN!" Sano protested once more.

"…Vowed to be part of the Shinsengumi Patrol. Himura Kenshin and Sagara Sanosuke at your service, sir!"

"KENSHIN!"

"Sagara!" hissed Hiko.

President Kamiya closed his eyes and gave a slight nod.

"I am truly grateful to hear that you fully accept the mission laid out to you. From now on, you are to serve as undercover bodyguards of the first daughter, Kamiya Kaoru." Then, he suddenly dropped his voice, almost to a whisper, " I am truly, truly grateful. I don't know how to ever repay your bravery and loyalty to the country."

Sano almost choked at the word 'bravery'. It was over now. By the short speech that the president had given to them, it appeared to Sano that the president had just fully entrusted the mission on their hands, and that they're fully accepting it, all thanks to Kenshin.

He sighed in defeat. _You, that bad habit of yours and your ballistic head…_

"Yes, we fully accept the mission with…uh, when do we report, sir? We're ready, sir."

"Well then, you are to report tomorrow at the Shinsegumi Headquarters at exactly 10AM. Instructions shall be given out tomorrow," said the president as he stood up.

Hiko and Kenshin stood up also, since Sano was already standing, and all of them gave the president a salute.

"Yes, sir," Sano and Kenshin both said, then they put down their hands to their sides. With that, Soujirou led them out of the room. Kenshin felt his stomach gave a lurch. He didn't know why he just did that back in the room, but he knew it was the right thing to do. He sighed heavily.

_Tomorrow, our lives are gonna change forever_, Sano thought grimly.

_Today, our lives had just changed for the worst yet to come,_ Kenshin worried.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** SO, HOW WAS IT? I KNOW, I KNOW…IT WAS QUITE A LONG UPDATE – BUT I PROMISE I'LL UPDATE SOONER! I'M CURRENTLY HANDLING THREE FANFICS ALL AT THE SAME TIME, BUT THE LATEST ONE I HAVEN'T POSTED YET…ANYWAY…ON TO THE REVIEWER NOTES…

**DID YOU LIKE THE TREAT? HEHEHE…A BIG, BIG 'THANK YOU' TO THOSE WHO REVIEWED…OH YEAH, AND ANOTHER MASSIVE BAG OF BERTIE BOTTS! (Courtesy of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling – I do not own any of it)**

**Kawaiimeeh, Aldailyn, kao-chan, inugurlz **(I'm so glad you loved the first batch of Bertie Botts!)**, devildog-90 **(really? I don't know that movie)**, pinkstar146, livworld, kasumi977, kik-ting, erica6060 **(yes, as a matter of fact, Aoshi is going to be in this fic! Watch out for him…hehehe)** and Innocent Battousai.**

**Nixy-chan: **hmm…why were the suits chasing Kaoru? Hmm…why do you think? Hehehe…

**Enchantedsleeper: **how come Soujirou lives in the, err, presidential palace (which is sort of like the white house)? Don't worry; we'll get to that part as the story goes…

AND WITH THIS, I MUST GO NOW. SAYONARA! MWAH!


	4. Chapter 4

HELLO! SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE, GUYS…SO NOW WITH NO FURTHER ADO, HERE IT GOES!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN RURUONI KENSHIN – CHARACTERS, PLACES AND STUFF – ONLY DANTES IN THIS CHAPPIE.

OKINA – 50 + (AGE)

DANTES – 35 +

**WORKING UNDERCOVER by Sutefani-chan **

**CHAPTER 4**

Click.

Himura Kenshin turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, shoving himself into the office. Apparently, he made it to the headquarters _alive_. He made it past the traffic and somehow survived from an accident – sort of. Now a lesson from the mishap had dawned upon him: Never think about anything that isn't related to driving but only to the road ahead of you when behind the wheels. Because of the mission that has been disturbing his mind, he almost crashed into a post! Then as if someone had slapped his head, it was only then that he had hit the breaks and found himself facing a post, bumper three inches away from it.

"You're late."

He looked up ahead of him. Chief Hiko had his back leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. Sano was apparently already there, sitting in his desk, reading a manga.

"Gomen nasai, shishou, but it was quite difficult to get here because of the traffic and some… mishap," apologized Kenshin. Hiko went towards Kenshin and whacked him on the head. Hard. Kenshin almost lost his balance but somehow he managed to get a hold of himself. He rubbed the sore part of his head, "Why did 'ya do that for?"

"That's your penalty for arriving late when we should have left minutes ago! Now, get your things and follow me. Heck, we're meeting a deadline, for goodness' sake!" Hiko cried as he went out of the office, followed by Kenshin then Sano caught up with him.

Muffled laughter.

Kenshin looked to his right. Sano was trying to contain his laughter.

Kenshin shot him a brow, "What?"

"Nandemonai," muttered Sano. Kenshin sighed and then shot Sano a glare, "That wasn't funny."

"I didn't say it was funny. I was just wondering – amused – what made you late today? You weren't usually late coming to office or anywhere else. What happened, mate?"

" I told you, it was because of the traffic and some accident, nearly."

Sano raised his eyebrows, "Accident?"

"Well, I sort of went off-tracked and nearly crashed into a pole. And do you know why? It's because of that damn assignment we're supposed to do TODAY. Boy, it had already done some permanent torture on my already suffering brain."

"Hmph, figures."

"The road's jam-packed with honking cars since 8AM. How did you get here early?"

"Dude, my apartment's only two blocks away. I walk."

Kenshin grimaced. As they followed Hiko to the third floor, he made a mental note to find an apartment closer to the headquarters.

"Where are we going?" Sano called from behind Hiko as their boss led them to a gray door. Smirking, Hiko answered, "You'll see." Immediately, he pushed the door open then a flash of light shone upon them, the two shielding their eyes with the back of their hands.

As the two stepped into the light, a strong breeze brushed their faces.

The two's jaws dropped. They weren't led to a room. Apparently, they were amazingly standing on gravel ground, which appeared to them as a helipad. They were on the headquarters' helipad! Before them stood a helicopter, its' elysee spinning furiously creating a strong mass of wind that had sent their hair flying everywhere.

"Sweet," Kenshin heard Sano say as they stood there, gaping at the vehicle they thought of as a 'work of art'.

"What are you waiting for, boys? Hop in!" Hiko called out from the helicopter. It had only occurred to the two that Hiko had already hopped into the copter when their attention drifted to him. Without hesitating, they made their way towards the copter and sat on their seats, buckling their seatbelts. Closing the door, Hiko called to the pilot, "Let's go."

* * *

They've finally arrived at their destination as the pilot landed the copter safely on the spacious ground. Hiko opened the door and quickly got out, followed by Sano and Kenshin. If the ride on the helicopter wasn't that much exciting, the place where they were now gave the two more excitement as their stomachs executed more jolts than they've ever imagined. To them, the place was awesome. It was a really spacious area, with nothing more around them except some palm trees from not that far lined up on sides, and the clean gravel ground they were stepping on.

They looked up ahead of them. There, approximately six meters away from where they were stood a massive building. It was large and wide, about fifteen stories high and 3 average-sized (width) buildings glued together. It had large glass windows streaming on every row or floor of the building.

"Follow me," Hiko told them and ushered them towards the building. As soon as they had arrived there before the building, a tall, skinny, old man in a dark blue slacks and coat in a red tie greeted them.

"I know, we're late," Hiko told the man as they shook hands. He turned to the two behind him, "Boys, this is Executive Secretary Okina. He is here to be in charge of the preparation for the mission at hand. Okina-san, this is Agent Himura Kenshin and this is Agent Sagara Sanosuke."

"Pleased to meet you, boys. The president had sent me here to be in his place since he has some other important affairs to attend to. Let's get on with it now, shall we?" And Okina led the three into the building and got into an elevator going up towards the fifth floor. As soon the elevator door opened, it revealed to them a very big room. The walls were crisp white and the room was lined up with tables and chairs and people running about, some talking to their mobiles while others were carrying stacks of paper. Okina led them to the far end where there was another door and opened it, ushering them inside. The room appeared to be a private office. Before them was a desk and two client stools beside each corner of the table, facing the desk. The walls were white also, and window blinds hung at the back of the desk. The floor was also made of vinyl that looks like wood, and the room was fully centralized.

They weren't alone in the room. Standing there near the desk were two men. One that the two were familiar with was Seta Soujirou, the usually cheerful kid who is mysteriously living with the president. Beside him was someone Sano and Kenshin couldn't really recall meeting with. He was not tall, not short, about five-foot-six and was a bit skinny, but not limpy. He wore a peasant boy's hat (black) under his seemingly slicked back brown hair and has a slick mustache that curls in the edges. He wore a white, long-sleeved polo that is cuffed (his sleeves) up to his elbows, and black slacks for his pants. His polo was unbuttoned to two buttons and on his neck hung a silver, chain necklace.

_Oh damn. Please let not be him what I think he would be, _Sano silently prayed with a shocked look on his face.

Soujirou and the stylish man approached the newcomers.

"Ohayo, Himura-san, Sagara-san!" he said in his cheerful smile. "Ah! Ohayo, Hiko-sama," he gave a slight full-front bow to Hiko. Hiko bowed back.

"So, we meet again, Soujirou-san," Kenshin smiled at him. Soujirou nodded back, the smile still plastered on his face. "I'm here with Soujirou to supervise the preparation. And, of course, gentlemen meet Dantes. He would be the head and would be responsible for your transformation," Okina said.

_Oh, crap!_ Sano grimaced.

Dantes beamed at the two, "Bonjour, monseiurs! My name eez Dantes. I wood bee yoor stylist and I assure yoo that perfection eez my middle name!" He said as he dramatically waved his hand to his right.

_Oh, brother,_ Kenshin grimaced at the back of his mind.

"Well then, let's not waste time. Shall we?" Okina smiled and he reached for a button under his desk table. Immediately, the wall to the right elevated and what revealed to them was as amazing laboratory. The two's jaws dropped, both have stunned looks on their faces. Apparently, it was a secret passage! Well, somehow.

"Oui (Yes). Let's get started. Follow me," Dantes told them and walked into the laboratory.

"Uh, err, you're not going to leave us alone, are you?" Kenshin muttered as he turned to Okina and Hiko, basically asking for help.

Okina laughed, "Don't worry. Soujirou's there to take care of you." He nodded at Soujirou and then the three of them (Kenshin, Sano, and Soujirou) followed the odd-looking stylist.

"Uh, anou… Soujirou-san. Are you sure HE's safe?" Kenshin mumbled to Soujirou.

"Ah, don't worry, Himura-san. Dantes been working for the Shinsengumi as it's official disguise master," Soujirou laughed.

"You mean like a stylist," Sano said flatly.

Soujirou laughed again, "Yes, well, more like that."

Kenshin looked around. The place doesn't look like a science laboratory; it was more like a beauty parlor, with strange and advance gadgets. Kenshin's stomach gave a jolt. _This is not good._

Dantes led them to a row of vanity mirrors.

"C'mon! Vominos!" He was clapping his hands at them as to say hurry up.

"Is he a French or a Spanish?" Sano wondered as they were forced to seat on the chairs facing the vanity mirrors each. Immediately, two women in short skirts and blazers came to their aid.

"Whoa, check them out," Sano muttered as he gaped at them.

"Sano," Kenshin sighed. Soujirou was by their side, trying to contain his laughter.

Dantes examined their hair and physical features. He shook his head. "Wee have too make teengs snapee and seer-yoos-lee… (We have to make things snappy and seriously)."

He turned to Kenshin, "Yoo arr quite a female."

Kenshin's eyes widen, "E-excuse m-me?"

"Yoo arr quite eezee too deel weeth. Yoo have a touch of yoor fe-mee-neen side on yoor face. (You are quite easy to deal with. You have a touch of your feminine side on your face.) But!"

"B-But what?"

"Wee have too doo zome-teeng weeth dat z-carr (We have to do something with that scar)," he eyed the scar as if it was his worst enemy. Kenshin reached and touched his x-shaped scar on his left cheek. _Oh, yes. The scar…_

Then, Dantes turned to Sano. He frowned at Sano, "Now, wee need too work on yoo HARRDEERR. Yoo are quite a man. Noo matterr what make-up wee doo, yoo steel look like a wrrestlerr. Noo, I teenk a body soot and a mask weel doo the treeck! (Now, we need to work on you harder. You are quite a man. No matter what make-up we do, you still look like a wrestler. No, I think a body suit and a mask will do the trick!)"

Dantes dramatically brought his fingers to his cheek, dribbling it.

"Hmm. Wee coodn't z-tart weeth the make-up now. Noo, noo, noo. Body soots? Maybe later. Ah! Ooh lala!" he took the robes lying on top of one of the chairs and handed them to the two, each. Grinning mischievously, he ordered the two, "C'mon, streep (strip) those clothes off and weer (wear) the robes on. Yoo cood (could) use dat room over derr. Come on, hurry!"

* * *

Discreetly, the two stepped out of the room wearing nothing but the robes (with their trousers on – of course).

"Hey, what is this all about?" Sano questioned Dantes.

"Hmmhmm, yoo weel see," grinned Dantes as he walked off, snapping his fingers for them to follow him. They followed behind Dantes, them walking quite a hurry to get past the snickers of some of the employees around them. Kenshin looked worriedly at Soujirou. To him, it seemed quite pathetic for a 22-year old turning 23 to ask help from an innocent – sort of – 15-year old boy but it left him no choice.

Soujirou gave him an assuring smile, " Ah, don't worry. I won't leave you two." He raised his hand, shoulder-level. "Scout's honor."

Dantes led them to a large cubicle that held two long beds. There were people in long white lab gowns, and it was as if they were anticipating them.

As soon as they entered the cubicle, the people in lab gowns closed the curtain doors. There were no windows and no ceiling, and the walls were high enough for somebody to even peek in.

"Take off your robes, " one of the crew said to them. A bit awkward, they still managed to do what the man had told them to do. By that time, Dantes had gotten out to get something.

"Now, lie down on the beds," the man ordered them. Kenshin threw Sano a worried glance and then they lied on the bed each. It seemed to them the beds that they were lying on were experiment-looking tables only with hard mattresses.

Dantes eventually got in wearing a white lab gown too. From the moment he saw the two, he gasped, "SACREBLEAU!"

The two including Soujirou and the people around them, jumped.

"What?"

Shocked, Dantes pointed to the two's legs. "Those legs arr the moost hairee-yest legs I have e-verr seen een my life!"

Sano glared at him, cracking his knuckles as he sat up, "Got a problem with that?"

Dantes winced and said, "Err, noo. Een fact, I have never seen eh-nee-teeng (anything) quite, uh, _authentic_, such as yours. He he?"

Suddenly, some of the crew was already applying cream on their hairy legs and arms. Yes, even on their chests.

"What are you doing?" alarmed Kenshin at the person who was applying a transparent cream on his chest. But the woman didn't answer him and walked away, this time coming back with a rather large plaster in her hands. _Wait, I've seen this one before_, he worried. _They're going to…_

"SANO!" he yelled at his partner. "They're going to wax us!"

"Nani? (What?)"

"They're going to peel off our hair!"

Sano's eyes widened in horror as his face went pale, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" He practically bellowed as he sat up, trying to escape. Kenshin was doing the same.

"HOLD THEM!" someone ordered. Immediately, the whole crew came swarming around them and pined them down to their beds, the two struggling to escape from the 'mishap' that was about to happen to them.

"NO! Pant…LET – pant – GO – pant – OF ME!" Sano hollered as he tried to struggle free from their grasps. Without hesitating, the crew quickly covered the parts with the colorless cream with big body waxing papers.

"GET US OUT OF HERE!" Kenshin pleaded. He couldn't take it anymore, and somehow he could already feel the pain of having your body hair being pulled out all at the same time.

"Oh, nonsense. Eet doesn't hoort a beet (It doesn't hurt a bit.)" Dantes grinned at him with a twinge of betrayal in his eyes. Kenshin looked at Soujirou desperately. The boy only stood thee with a look of hope in his eyes. Kenshin's face fell. All hopes were gone.

Sano and Kenshin's hearts were pounding furiously. Beads of sweat started to form on their foreheads. Not long, they would have itchy-red skin – hair-free. Not long, they would be experiencing pain, marking the start of their would-be disastrous future ahead of them…

Some of the people in lab gowns held the tip of the waxing paper each; ready to strip them off any moment.

…There would be a lot of pain – and screaming.

One…

Two…

Three.

"OH! DAMN IT!"

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES: SO HOW WAS IT? I'M REALLY, REALLY GOING TO HAVE FUN DOING THE NEXT CHAPPIE. CAN'T WAIT!

AWW, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME SANO AND KENSHIN FANS! GOMEN NASAI! AND YES, DANTES IS FRENCH. THE PRONOUNCIATION OF IS NAME IS DAUN-TAY. LIKE DAUNTED BUT IT'S TAY NOT TED.

I GOT A LOT OF REVIEWS – ALMOST ALL OF THEM HAVING A COMMENT ON SANO. I KNOW, I'M REALLY CRUEL. AH! FORGIVE ME AGAIN. I KNOW, NO MATTER WHAT MAKE-UP WE PUT ON HIM HE STILL LOOKS LIKE A MAN…WITH ALL THE MANLY FEATURES AND STUFF…

NOTE TO ENCHANTEDSLEEPER: MAY I PLEASE, PLEASE BORROW THE IDEA, 'SANO THE CROSSDRESSER'? PLEASE? YOUR PERMISSION IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THOSE WHO REVIEWED! ARIGATO! I HOPE YOU LIKED YOUR BERTIE BOTT'S! (Again, courtesy of Harry Potter and Ms. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter does not belong to me)

**Aldailyn, star, erica6060, kawaiimeeh, enchantedsleeper, royalblueKitsune, Aya45, Nixy-chan **and** tsumesgirl05. **


	5. Chapter 5

WAH! GOMEN NASAI! GOMEN NASAI! I'M SO SORRY! (BOWS) (BOWS AGAIN) (BOWS SOME MORE) I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LOOOONG UPDATE. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! THESE PAST FEW MONTHS, I'VE BEEN REALLY BUSY WITH SCHOOLWORK THAT I BARELY HAD THE TIME TO WRITE AND UPDATE MY STORIES. SORRY! ANYWAY, ON WITH THE STORY TO KEEP YOU FROM WAITING!

AS ALWAYS…DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN RURUONI KENSHIN, ONLY DANTES, RICARDO, AND THIS STORY.

**WORKING UNDERCOVER** by Sutefani-chan

**CHAPTER 5**

It still hurt though.

No matter how hard he tried to remain calm and jolly, nothing could ever make him relax. It was as if his heart was trying to break-free as it was pounding furiously.

This was not his day.

He stared at his now hair-free legs and arms. It still showed some red patches that outlined the waxing papers that were once stuck on their bare skin. He couldn't move freely; he had to take caution when he tried to move his body so as not to feel the stinging sensation still present.

It was quite itchy and he badly needed to scratch those itchy parts but Dantes had forbidden him to. He grumbled.

Unfortunately for him, his underarms too were now hair-free.

He grumbled some more.

This was DEFINITELY NOT his day.

Now wrapped in a long, warm blue robe with nothing on inside but his boxers, he was worried about his chum's state. After that horrible incident, which he swore he would never-ever-do-again-not-even-in-a-million-years, he was separated from his friend as he was led to an absolutely different room from Sano's – which Kenshin doesn't know where. Considering his partner's attitude, he knew that Sano was in a worse state than where Kenshin was currently in.

He sighed. At this hour, he should be in his desk at the Shinsengumi quarters, shuffling papers or out in the streets trying to retrieve Mrs. Fausuto's cat from the clutches of misfortune of falling off a high sakura tree.

And now, here he was, sitting on a high chair with nothing on but his boxers and a long blue robe, with his body hair pulled out. He cursed under his breath. He knew he should have faked a fever or something.

Suddenly, the door opened and then entered Dantes and two Japanese women with short skirts and blazers on.

"Where's Sano?" asked Kenshin as Dantes and the two approached him, holding in their hands a big silver metallic luggage in which Kenshin assumed were "gadgets" that were going to be used on him.

"Ooh, don't yoo worry. Monsieur Sagara eez een safe hands," assured Dantes as he and his ladies were starting to assemble the "gadgets".

"S-safe hands?"

"My good amie, Ricardo, eez een charge of heem. Now, enough talk! Wee have too move oon weed dha action!" Suddenly, Kenshin's high chair reclined and he found himself staring at Dantes' face upside down.

"W-What are y-you p-planning to do?" worried Kenshin.

"Ooh, yoo know, bee-yoo-tee-fying yoo. Wee just need too treem yoor eyebrows and work oon yoor makeup. Wee also need too doo something weed dhat scar, and yoor pedicure and manicure counts also." With that, Dantes clapped his hands and immediately the two Japanese ladies in blazers and skirts surrounded him with a pair of tweezers on their hands.

"Anou…demo, does it hurt?" Kenshin suddenly blurted out.

"Now, doo I have too re-peet eet? Noo, eet doesn't hoort a beet!"

Kenshin glared at him. Based from experience, he decided not to believe the French stylist anymore.

While praying that the plucking of the eyebrows won't hurt that much, the two ladies started on trimming his eyebrows, plucking the strands one by one.

He cringed at the slight pain as the two continued to pluck his eyebrows, with Dantes humming cheerily to himself while busily sorting the round cases of makeup to be used on Kenshin. He sighed to himself, _well, at least this is much better than having your body hair being pulled out all at the same time._

Then, the picture of Sano slipped into his mind once more. If Kenshin wasn't enjoying this, what more was it with Sano? Reminding himself, Sano was one person Kenshin knew has less tolerance when it comes to grooming. What was happening right now? Has Sano – presumably – probably – broken loose from the hands of the evil Shinsengumi prosthetics people and was now wandering the halls of the building like an escaped mental fugitive?

Kenshin felt his stomach churn. _This is bad._

* * *

Slowly – rather, hesitantly – they took off his sneakers and socks off. The effeminate man moved closer and closer to him, hesitant, as if he was afraid a gruesome and unpleasant monster would come out from the other man and pounce on the former.

Slowly, closely…

"Eek!"

"WHAT? WHAT? IS THERE A CRIMINAL? WHERE?" startled the young man as he rose to his feet, clutching his fists as he cocked his head warily from left to right, searching for any sign of an intruder.

"No! Those!" The effeminate man had a horrified look on his face, pointing accusingly rather at the confused lad's feet. Sano looked down and stared at his feet, and then he returned his gaze to the trembling Ricardo and glared at him, "What – now?"

Ricardo winced, "N-Nothing!" But he continued to gape at Sano's feet.

"Ahem."

Ricardo quickly looked up from the pair of feet and said, "Oh! Of course! Let's get on with it, shall we?"

He took out nail clippers and filers and a rather large foot scraper. Upon seeing those "foreign tools", Sano let out a startling cry, "HOLY CRAP! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH MY FEET!"

"These are grooming tools, particularly for pedicure, Sagara-san," answered one of the female assistants of Ricardo. With gloves on, they held Sano's feet still by his lower leg. They tried to keep him still however Sano was struggling to free himself.

"Just relax, señor," soothed Ricardo.

"No, no, no. Anything but THOSE…"

"Por pabor, señor, but we need to clean your, erm, feet. This is nothing unlike the waxing you've just encountered."

"Now hold it, pal. I'm not going to let you destroy my feet using those -!"

"Alright! Hand me the cotton and that bottle, por pabor!" Ricardo suddenly exclaimed. Immediately, they got down to work, and about five people were holding Sano down as he trying to escape from them. Seeing that there was nothing that he could do, he finally accepted his defeat. He sighed. _This is going to take a long time._

Ricardo eyed the lad's feet with an appalled yet disgusted look on his face. _This is going to take forever._

* * *

"Do you think they're doing fine, Hiko-san?" asked Soujirou cheerfully.

"They should be. After all, this is a top-rank mission," answered Hiko without looking up from the newspaper he was reading.

"Hai. I think you're right," smiled Soujirou.

_This is gonna be one hell of a laugh trip,_ Hiko smirked as he turned a page and continued reading.

* * *

The transformation was almost perfect. His legs and arms were now hair-free. His feet and skin were as smooth as silk. His fingernails and toenails were done with a chic French tip coat each. His beautiful red hair was accented and was trimmed into a shoulder-length, wavy layered hair. They added highlights and blow-dried it so that it falls into place. His eyebrows were trimmed and he could almost pass as a girl without anyone knowing that he was a man.

Dantes eyed him as if Kenshin was a piece of art. He was rather pleased with himself.

"Peer-fect! Mag-nee-fee-cent! Coo-dn't be moor proud!"

Kenshin stared at his reflection in the vanity mirror in front of him. He had to admit it. Dantes really did a superb job on Kenshin.

"How-ee-verr!" objected Dantes suddenly.

Kenshin turned to the stylist.

"A pee-st steel ree-mains! Wee hav too doo something weed dhat scar!"

Dantes was right, thought Kenshin. Even though Kenshin wouldn't really want to hide his scar, somehow he felt the need to now. In his apartment or even in the quarters, the boy was very popular with his scar. If they are to do this assignment undercover, then he had to abide with the rules and do what Dantes had to say.

Suddenly, Dantes left the room and came back again with a metallic silver box in his hands. He set it down on the table and opened it, taking out another set of makeup and some elastic facemasks. Then he took a mug and filled it with water. Facing Kenshin, he got to work.

Carefully, he placed the mask on Kenshin's face, letting it fit perfectly. Then he took special adhesive tapes and taped the edges of the mask on Kenshin's skin. After that, with a paintbrush, he dipped the brush in the water and spread the water carefully and slowly around the edges, letting it stick to his skin. He continued doing the procedure until he was satisfied. Then, he applied another layer of facemask and repeated the procedure. The mask was quite itchy though, for poor Kenshin was feeling really uncomfortable with it and was trying to scratch his face, if only Dantes wasn't tapping Kenshin's hand, scolding Kenshin. Scowling inwardly, Kenshin let it go.

After that, Dantes took out the set of makeup and started applying foundation on the boy's face.

"Um, Dantes-san?" mumbled Kenshin.

"Oui?"

"Are you sure this is water-resistant? I mean, it won't smudge or come off easily? The mask – I mean?"

"Monsieur Himura, I a-zhoor yoo dhat deez mask eez the beezt mask dha proos-the-ticz dhee-parrt-ment yooses."

"Oh."

After applying foundation, Dantes started applying eyeliner and eye shadow on Kenshin's eyes. Dantes outlined Kenshin's eyes with liquid eyeliner using an eye brush. Then he applied soft shade of mocha brown on Kenshin's eyelids up to the bottom of his eyebrows. After that, he applied a thin dark brown shade on the eyelids. Then, he applied a soft tinge of pink blush on Kenshin's cheeks. Then he added a light cranberry red gloss on Kenshin's lips as the finishing touch.

"Dherr yoo go!" cried Dantes. Kenshin studied himself in the mirror. He blinked. He blinked harder. Was what he was seeing in the mirror real?

* * *

Okina entered the room. Upon seeing Hiko, he asked, "Are they done yet?"

Hiko shook his head, "Iie, and it's been two hours since they started."

"Well, we can't blame anyone. The Shinsengumi Prosthetics department is doing their best to help make this assignment successful. Although – no offense – your boys seem to be the ones making this a long one."

Hiko managed to smirk, "I know, but I have trust on those boys, no matter how stupid they can be at times."

Suddenly, their conversation was cut off when they heard the click of the doorknob. All eyes turned to the doorknob.

"Could it be them?" whispered Okina. Hiko shrugged.

The door slowly opened. They held their breaths. Suddenly, a brown head peeked and smiled at them. Okina and Hiko sighed heavily.

"Ohayo, Okina-sama, Hiko-san. Anou, are they done?" asked Soujirou.

"Iie," Okina shook his head.

Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. _That must be them_, everyone thought. They heard a click of the doorknob. All eyes were on the door.

Opening the door, a man with a Japanese woman by his side entered the room. Okina, Hiko and Soujirou held their breaths.

"Well?" demanded Hiko.

"Monsieurs, I wood like too pree-sent too yoo dee bee-yoo-tee-fool, love-lee, magnifique, merveilleux chef d' oeuvre –!"

"Just get on with it!" grumbled Hiko. _You're making me sick._

"Dee once Monsieur Ken-sheen Hee-moo-ra, now Mademoiselle Ka-zoo-mee Ka-mee-ya!"

As if on cue, Kenshin carefully entered the room, hesitant at first, as if somebody was going to pounce on him. Then, he froze as soon as he saw the three.

"W-What?" muttered Kenshin.

Speechless.

"W-What?" Kenshin muttered once more.

The three's jaws dropped. Was what they were seeing real? It was a complete transformation. Kenshin's once long and beautiful hair was snipped into a more refined layered shoulder-length hair. Soft highlights were visible on his hair. His lashes were longer now, and his eyelids were accented with different shades of brown eye shadow. There was a tinge of soft pink on his cheeks and what was most remarkable was that his scar was no longer there on his left cheek. It was gone now. From being an amateurish-looking Kenshin, he had been turned into a well-refined-looking Kamiya Kazumi.

As if slapped back to reality, Soujirou quickly rushed to Kenshin's side, "Whoa, Himura-san! You look, you look like a real lady!"

"Anou…Soujirou-san…" Kenshin gave an awkward grin. _Oh man._

"Don't just stand there, baka no deshi! You're making a fool out of yourself!" scolded Hiko. Deep inside, he was too shocked also, seeing his student dressed as a woman.

He remembered saying to himself once, "I will not have a faggot as my successor. Ever!" He blinked. He blinked once more.

But this was just an assignment, Hiko assured himself, and it was not like Kenshin was going to be a total gay. And if Kenshin would ever be one, Hiko swore to himself that he would make sure the boy would never see daylight again. He sighed in relief.

Kenshin absent-mindedly walked towards the chair and almost lost his balance if only Soujirou didn't help him prevent his fall. He was wearing heels, and he was very uncomfortable with it. All in all, he was very uncomfortable. He was wearing a pastel pink spaghetti straps but was covered with a red bolero. For his lower body, he was wearing a white floral pleated skirt, which goes down an inch below his knees. Underneath the clothes, he was wearing a body suit so as to give shape to his body, as well as to give him breasts.

Eventually, he made his way to the chair safely.

"Monsieur Dantes, he is a masterpiece!" exclaimed Okina.

"Merci, monsieur, merci. Eet eez my dyoo-tee too give my beezt too make heem bee-yoo-tee-fool, and I deed! Bien cuit!" bragged Dantes.

"We see," said Hiko boringly.

Dantes continued, "Eet was a beet harrd at first, difficile, foor he eez a monsieur, and I hav too doo dha beezt dhat I cood doo too make heem a mademoiselle! Belle! How-ee-verr! I –!"

"Uh, that's enough Dantes. M-merci," said Okina. Dantes gave him a cheery smile and sat on a nearby sofa, ordering the Japanese woman to leave the room.

Kenshin was sighing every now and then, reminding himself not to panic. Everything was turning upside down. He didn't have to be in this state, if only he didn't agree to do this assignment. And now, not only did he let himself get into this trouble, but he got his friend involved in it too.

"_Some friend you are."_

_Shut up._

Then suddenly, the realization struck him. _Sano! _

"Soujirou-san, is Sano done yet?" He asked Soujirou.

"Iie," Soujirou shook his head, "Demo, I'm sure they're on their way now."

"I hope Sano's okay."

Soujirou smiled at him, "Ah, don't worry, Himura-san. Sagara-san's fine."

_I hope so._

All of a sudden, the door opened and in peeked a woman's head. All of them turned to her.

"Yes, may we help you, miss?" offered Hiko. The woman didn't answer and glanced around when her eyes stopped on Kenshin. Kenshin gave her a confused look, and said, "Do I know you?"

The woman blinked. "K-Kenshin?"

Upon hearing her voice, Kenshin almost choked. That voice, he couldn't be mistaken. He knew that voice too well. Upon hearing her voice, everyone else stared at the woman also. Their eyes widened and their jaws dramatically dropped to the ground.

Kenshin couldn't believe his eyes.

_You've got to be kidding._

"S-Sano?"

* * *

WAH! YES, I'VE UPDATED! WEHEHE, I KNOW, GOMEN NASAI! IT'S BEEN A VERY, VERY, VERY LONG TIME SINCE I LAST UPDATED THIS FIC. EXAMS HAPPENED JUST A WEEK AGO, AND A MONTH AGO WE WERE BUSY DOING A SCHOOL MUSICAL AND SO MANY PROJECTS FLOODED OUR WAY. SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

EIST, IS IT TRUE? IS IT TRUE THAT IT'S FORBIDDEN TO PUT REVIEWER'S NOTES HERE? OH WELL, DAMN IT.

WAH! I GOT 22 REVIEWS FOR LAST CHAPPIE! I KNOW, I'M TOO SHALLOW BUT IT'S JUST YOU GUYS MAKE ME HAPPY AND I'M DOING THE BEST I COULD TO RETURN THAT HAPPINESS. WEE!

WELL, A REVIEWER ASKED WHAT SACREBLEAU MEANS. WELL, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN IT'S FRNCH FOR "HOLY COW!" WEHEHE, WELL, IT WAS USED IN DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. LUMIERRE (?) SAID THAT EXPRESSION WHEN THEY SAW FROM THE CASTLE WINDOWS AN ANGRY MOB BANGING THE CASTLE DOORS WITH A LARGE LOG.

JAPANASE WORDS:

IIE-NO

HAI-YES

DEMO-BUT

ANOU-UM/UH

FRENCH WORDS:

MERCI-THANK YOU

OUI-YES

MAGNIFIQUE-MAGNIFICENT

MERVEILLEUX-MARVELOUS

CHEF D'OEVRE – MASTERPIECE

DIFFICILE-DIFFICULT

BIEN CUIT! – WELL DONE!

BELLE-LADY

MONSIEUR – MISTER

MADEMOISELLE-LADY/MISS

AMIE-FRIEND

ABOUT THE CLOTHES:

BOLERO – IT'S A SHORT BLAZER, CAN BE LONG-SLEEVED OR NOT. IT GOES DOWN ABOVE THE BELLY.


End file.
